Honour your dead
by mtm
Summary: Halloween Challenge fic. When Walter remembers that it's Halloween, it leads Peter into a worst possible nightmare.
1. Chapter 1

**Honour your dead**

Walter had disappeared. When I went to the lab after lunch, I found Astrid just becoming aware of the fact that Walter hadn't been around for few hours. As typical for him, Walter hadn't left any note and he was nowhere to be found in the University.

"Where could he have gone this time?" I asked aloud throwing up my hands in the air. This was getting so frustrating. He had been doing pretty well, leaving notes if he went somewhere or even remembering to tell someone before wandering off.

"Maybe he got so excited about the Halloween that he forgot to tell us that he left?" replied Astrid hopefully.

She was responsible for reminding Walter of the holiday, thinking that he would welcome the celebration. Instead Walter had become restless and seemed to become agitated. When I asked what was wrong, he started sprouting the history of Halloween: how the day was originally for honouring your dead and how it was supposed to be the day when the barrier between this world and the Otherworld became thin allowing spirits to pass through. Then he snapped out of it and asked for lunch like he hadn't been ranting about dead and spirits the minute before. And I came back to the lab to find him gone.

"Do you think he left because what I said about the Halloween?", Astrid asked worriedly.

"With Walter you never know so I wouldn't be too worried about it", I replied smiling slightly, but I was starting to think that something felt off. The way he had been agitated and it definitely wasn't because of the talk of the dead as knowing Walter, if zombies or bodies turned up, he would be the first one studying them, preferable hands on. One thing he was not was squeamish.

I was musing the weirdness of Walter and debating what to do, when I heard Olivia's voice asking softly, "Are you all right Peter?"

I turned around to find her standing with her head tilted slightly to the right with a quizzical look on her face. "You seem worried."

"Walter has taken off again and we can't find him", Astrid said "and I think it's my fault as he seemed upset when I brought up the fact that it's Halloween."

Olivia looked at me and I nodded. I brushed my hand through my hair and sighed.

"He seemed to become agitated and took of on a tangent about the origin of Halloween and all of the sudden seemed to forget what got him so in a twist and was asking calmly for lunch. When I got back from the lunch run he was gone. And so is my car." I added.

"Do you know where to go and look for him?" asked Olivia. "We don't have a case at the moment so we could go and try to figure out where he might have gone."

I could have kissed her right there and then. She was always so professional and focussed, but it was moments like this when she seemed to know that I was really worried about something, that she would say exactly the right words.

I gazed into her eyes maybe for a moment too long based on the questioning look she had in her eyes. I gave a little grin hoping that she wouldn't mind me ogling her once in a while. I knew she would wipe the floor with my ass if I pushed too far, but I could have bet that she secretly enjoyed the attention that she was occasionally getting. I wasn't too careless as to get caught all the time though.

"I did put a GPS locator in my car knowing that I might need to track it down at some point", I said grinning.

Astrid was already fiddling with the computer, bringing up the GPS grid.

"There he is!", she exclaimed a moment later.

Olivia was looking at the screen in front of me and I was peeking over her shoulder while at the same time sneaking in a good sniff of the glorious smell of Olivia Dunham. I was slightly distracted by her closeness and I was using the opportunity to inch my way closer to her.

Olivia looked at me over her shoulder smiling slightly, being fully aware what I was trying to do. Then she concentrated on the screen again when Astrid said, "That's odd, it looks like he is at an old cemetery. Do you have any family buried there Peter?".

That brought my attention back to the business in hand and this cat and mouse game we had with Olivia was pushed into the back of my mind.

"Cemetery? That's odd.", I said frowning. "Maybe all this Halloween talk made him to remember something."

"Would you like to have a little visit to a cemetery, it being Halloween and all?", I asked Olivia grinning. "You can never say that I don't take you anywhere", I continued with a spark in my eyes.

She just shook her head and smiled back and gestured for me to lead the way.

"I hope you will find him and that he's ok!", Astrid shouted after us.

XXX

Olivia was driving and I enjoyed the silence in the car. We had long ago passed the point where small talk was necessary, now we just enjoyed each other's company. I was also curious to find why Walter had gone to the cemetery and why alone when I could have driven him there.

Olivia found the small road away from the main road and came to a stop next to my car in a small parking lot. She looked at me then and I just shrugged as I didn't have any clue to why Walter was behaving this way.

"Which way?", asked Olivia once we got out of the car, looking around.

"Well, the main gate is here. After that I suppose it shouldn't be too difficult to find him as this place doesn't look too big and there doesn't seem to be anyone else around.", I said looking around noticing how overgrown everything looked. The place seemed to have been forgotten few centuries ago.

We walked along small paths looking for Walter and not talking. After a while we saw his figure standing in front of a small grave stone. He was completely in his own world and wasn't aware of our approach. When we were standing almost behind him I heard Olivia gasp and turn to look at me in shock. I raised my eyebrows asking silently what was wrong; however at that moment Walter became aware that he wasn't alone anymore. He turned around and became still when he saw who it was.

"You can't come here! You can't be here! Go away Peter, go away!", he started shouting franticly at the same time trying to shield the stone. He had been crying and still had tears streaming down his face.

I was just looking at him surprised, not having a clue why he became so upset and why he was crying and why Olivia also looked like she was ready to vomit.

"Walter, what are you talking about? What's going on? Who's grave stone is that?", I asked trying to peer around him to see the name.

Then I saw it. I froze. My mind froze. Time seemed to flee and leave only the space behind. I couldn't hear anything, Walter's voice seemed muffled. I could see Olivia saying something, but no sound came out of her mouth. There was only the roaring of my own blood in my ears. I could taste the blood in my mouth. I couldn't breathe, I couldn't speak. I stared at the grave stone and the name "Peter Bishop". And I ran.

XXX

I was numb. For once my brain kept mercifully quiet and let my motor functions take over. I ran like I had never run before. I kept barging into trees and bushes, slipped couple of times, before finally I couldn't breath from the fire in my lungs and my muscles quivered and wouldn't let me take another step. I stopped like I had run into a wall and crumbled on the ground.

It had started getting dark and it was starting to rain. I didn't notice any of this as I was completely wrapped in my own head.

"Is this how it feels to go crazy?", I thought. I couldn't process what I had just seen. Was I dead? Was Walter so far gone that he had thought at some point that I had died and he had buried me? I just sat there in a heap, dazed.

XXX

"Peter!", Walter was shouting after Peter just took off. Olivia had seen the look of horror on Peter's face, but was completely unprepared for how quickly he took off. Olivia was just about to take off after him when Walter grabbed her arm and wouldn't let go.

"Please, believe me. I didn't want to hurt anyone! I just missed him so much, I had to bring him over.", Walter kept talking about how he brought Peter over and how he always had come out here every Halloween as it was the day when he brought Peter over and how he came to honour the dead and how he had almost forgotten this year. Olivia couldn't make any sense of it.

"What do you mean you missed him? And what do you mean by bringing him over? Over from where?", Olivia frowned at the weeping man in front of him while at the same time trying to follow Peter to see where he was heading.

All of the sudden something clicked. Something Walter had told them about Peter being very sick when he was young and how Walter had been trying to make a time machine to reach a doctor to help him.

Olivia looked at Walter in horror. "Are you saying that Peter did really die? That this is his grave?"

"Yes", whispered Walter looking completely distraught.

"My Peter died. And it was horrendous and I missed him so much. But then I had a breakthrough at the lab and I was able to cross to the Other Side", Walter continued, pleading with his eyes for Olivia to understand.

"You brought the other Peter back", Olivia said finally understanding what must have happened.

"Yes", confirmed Walter.

Now everything started to make sense to Olivia. Peter's history of migraines, his nightmares, his restlessness and of course the way he felt that he didn't belong anywhere.

"Oh my god! I can't even begin to think what he must be going through!" Olivia thought in panic. She took out her phone from her pocket and dialled Astrid while not knowing exactly what to do with Walter. On one hand she understood how devastating it must have been to lose one's child, but on the other hand she couldn't even begin to grasp what the other Bishop family must have gone through to have their son snatched and taken to another reality. And poor Peter, how he must have been confused and scared.

Astrid promised to come and pick up Walter after Olivia promised to explain everything later. By the time Astrid arrived, it was already getting dark and it was starting to rain. Olivia was getting very short tempered with Walter and she was getting very anxious as she needed to get to Peter. There was no telling how this would affect him.

Once Astrid took over the baby sitting duties, Olivia started running to the same direction that she had seen Peter taking off. It wasn't difficult to follow his tracks as he had crashed through the vegetation like a wounded and crazed animal.

It was getting dark and Olivia had to switch on her flashlight. She was really getting worried, but then she saw Peter and her heart shattered into million pieces.

Peter was on the ground in a tangled heap, drenched through and through and seemingly unaware of anything that went around him. Olivia approached him slowly not wanting to startle him and softly called out, "Peter".

XXX

I don't know how long I had been there. I was numb, not feeling anything, which was a blessing. Some part of me was aware that it was dark, it was raining and it was cold and that same part was trying to arouse me enough to become aware how dangerous this combination was going to be. I didn't care. I didn't want to care. Until I heard my name spoken softly and I looked up into the eyes of a very worried Olivia and something snapped and I started shaking.

The next thing I'm aware was Olivia hugging me close, stroking my hair and just softly calling my name. I hang on to her like my life depended on it and maybe it does. I can't seem to stop shaking and that same nagging part of my brain was kindly informing me that I'm going into shock. And then I feel like folding into myself, falling deeper and deeper and all goes black.

XXX

When Olivia saw Peter starting to shake she ran to his side and dropped down to the ground and took him into her arms. She was trying to keep him warm and she was trying to comfort him. But then Peter lost consciousness and Olivia lost her calm and frantically called for help explaining her situation and the fact that she didn't know where she was. She kept holding Peter as close as possible and promising him that everything was going to be all right. That they would get through this all. She kept rocking him back and forth while sitting on the ground, looking in despair at his face, which looked so young and vulnerable, promising him and herself, that she wouldn't leave him. That it didn't matter where he came from as he was still her Peter.

When the paramedics finally found the right location, they found the distraught Olivia in the rain, in the dark, crying silently over an unconscious Peter cradled in her arms, rocking back and forth. When they tried to treat them both separately, Olivia wouldn't let go of Peter and in the end they had to work around it. They couldn't fit both of them onto the stretcher in the back of the ambulance so they had to put blankets on the floor to allow Olivia to continue to hold Peter.

She wouldn't let go even if the inter dimensional war would break out this minute with William Bell leading the troops. All she cared about was this still form of a man in her arms and she would do all the dimension hopping in all the possible universes and everything else that was required to help him.

XXX

I'm floating in and out and I feel comforted by the arms around me. I wish they will never let me go.

XXX


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Thank you all the wonderful people who reviewed the story. To those of you, who were asking for more, here you go! :)

Olivia was given scrubs to change into when the nurses noticed that she wouldn't leave Peter's side and for that she was grateful as she was soaked. She quickly nipped into the bathroom to change and then returned to her post beside Peter. The doctors had reassured her that he would be all right. He was still out, but that was to be expected after hypothermia and the psychological shock he had gone through. Olivia had been vague on the details, but the doctors seemed to get the idea that something awful had happened. Especially when Walter was brought in by Astrid while they still were in ER.

Olivia sat down on the chair and took Peter's hand. It still felt cold, which worried her. She looked at Peter's large hand, cold and limp, in her own smaller hand and felt something breaking once again inside her. This shouldn't be happening, Peter was the one always getting out of situations, always escaping, always coping.

One of the nurses saw Olivia bowing her head fighting tears and she went to the room.

"You can join him on the bed if you wish, it might be good for him too", she said quietly.

Olivia was startled nonetheless and sat up straight in the chair. She looked at the nurse questioningly.

"We are not suppose to encourage it due to hygiene regulations and to couple of hundreds other regulations, but you are already wearing scrubs and we are not talking about anything infectious here. It might be even good to warm him up a bit more. Go on", the nurse urged Olivia, smiled and left the room closing the door behind her.

Olivia didn't waste time. She carefully lowered the bed side and lifted the blanket and slided in next to Peter turning onto her side and snuggling up to Peter being supported by the bed side against her back. She hoped he wouldn't mind when he woke up. She was comfortable and warm and the day's events had wearied her off. Olivia fell asleep.

XXX

I slowly became aware of being warm and based on the smell, in the hospital. I felt something (someone?) next to me and opened my eyes slightly. In the dimness of the hospital room I could see Olivia Dunham in my bed, snuggled close, asleep. I smiled at the sight, feeling all warm inside, but then I remembered everything else that had happened and the smile left my face.

Olivia must have felt me shifting and waking up as she opened her eyes and looked groggily around. When she looked up at me, I couldn't help but smile a little at the tough FBI agent, who looked now like a young child waking up with her hair all messed up.

"Hey", I whispered to her.

"Hey yourself", she whispered back and to my relieve didn't ask how I was. After all she had been there to see how I reacted to Walter's secret. She also didn't pull away for which I was grateful as I had to admit that I really needed something to anchor me to the reality as I still felt like any moment now I would fade away.

I turned onto my side and slowly extended my arms around her, giving her time to stop me, but she didn't so I pulled her close to me burying my face into her hair. She put her arms around me and held on tightly. I couldn't even begin to tell how that soothed and calmed me as I had started to shake again.

Olivia finally pulled back a little to be able to look me in the eye. She cupped my face with her hand, stroking my stubbled cheek and said quietly, " You scared me."

"I'm sorry Olivia, I didn't know what to think and just reacted with my gut, which told me to bolt", I replied, enjoying her touch, relaxing and closing my eyes.

I didn't want to open this can of worms, but I really needed to know, "Did you know about the grave?"

"No I didn't. I was as shocked as you when I saw your name on the stone", Olivia answered seriously, forcing me now to look her in the eyes.

"I could never keep something so important from you", she continued looking concerned and sad, instead of being angry as I had half expected her to be for me doubting her. I nodded numbly.

"I now know though what the grave was about", Olivia continued hesitantly.

"Walter was mainly incoherent, but I was able to piece together the story based on what I already knew", she broke the silence.

I looked down at her and tightened my grip. I really didn't want to hear any of this either, but I knew I had to. I encouraged her to go on without speaking.

"You did really die when you were seven. This is the event that partly made Walter unstable as he was mad with grief. He just wanted to have his beloved son back. So with his typical brilliant style, he devised a plan to visit an Alternate Reality and find a copy of his Peter there", Olivia stopped to see how I was taking all this so far. I nodded for her to continue.

"He studied the soft spots between realities and found one at Reiden Lake and bought a house there. It took him a year to perfect his theory, but he was finally able to cross over and bring you to his reality."

"It wasn't without a cost as this seems to be what finally drove Walter insane", Olivia finished softly.

I heard all she said and still couldn't get it into my head that we were talking about me here. I felt like my head had been stuffed with cotton wool, I couldn't make sense of this.

"You are telling me that I'm from another reality, that I shouldn't be here?" I asked stunned. All the tests Walter did when I was young and all the stories he told me about my childhood that I couldn't remember, they finally began to make sense. As well as the fact that I was so restless and the all powering feeling that I didn't belong.

I felt a light touch on my face again and looked at Olivia who was looking worried.

"It all makes kinda of twisted sense", I said slowly trying to reassure Olivia that I wasn't about to flip the same way as in the cemetery. Then a thought occurred to me, "Where is Walter?"

"He is on the psychiatric ward. Sedated. He reacted really badly, especially after it became clear that you weren't coming home, but were in a hospital." Olivia relayed what she knew from Astrid who had brought him in.

I didn't know whether to go and get him out just to preserve his mental status, which had been fragile to start with or get him institutionalised again. Olivia seemed to sense what I was thinking and said, "You can go and see him tomorrow. You are still his guardian, but maybe it's better if you don't go there now."

I nodded agreeing with her. It would be better to think things through as my gut reaction seemed not to work quite as well as before. I lied back on the bed and let my head fall on the pillow. Olivia shifted so that her head was now resting on my shoulder and she was lying partly on top of me. I lazily played with her hair.

"I'm glad that you are here", I whispered to her.

XXX

When the nurse peeked in to see how her patient was doing, she saw two people fast asleep in each other's arms. She smiled to herself and decided to let them be at peace for a while longer before informing the doctor. There were times when the doctors couldn't do anything to make people better, for sometimes only the loved ones could heal a patient.

XXX


	3. Chapter 3

I was sitting on the bed waiting for the doctor to finish with his instructions so that I could sign the discharge papers. For once I didn't have to fight to be released from a hospital, although the doctor hadn't been too subtle with his suggestion of seeing a therapist, which I duly ignored.

Olivia was standing leaning against the wall, arms crossed in front of her, observing the proceedings. I looked at her and smiled slightly to which she responded. I wasn't surprised that there hadn't been any awkwardness when we woke up in the morning wrapped around each other. We had already become close and good friends before all this weirdness hitting the fan and now the fact that the two of us were not normal in the most common sense, brought us even closer. I had been sure of my feelings for a long time and I'm sure Olivia had picked it up as she wasn't hesitant at all responding to me. The kiss we shared that morning had been gentle and affirmative, like sealing our fates together by sharing our breath. We were now joined much deeper than I had ever been and it felt right. Of course I was looking forward to sharing a bit more physically, but I was already gloriously happy.

"Are you listening to me Mr. Bishop?", the doctor interrupted my musings and I saw Olivia smirking.

"Yes, yes, I'll follow your orders and so on. Can I sign the papers now?", I replied a bit too impatiently as the doctor raised his eyebrows, but he did give me the papers, which I signed and then was ready to go.

Olivia felt into step with me as I strode out of the room. I was so grateful of her presence that when we passed a corridor with a little window bench I took her hand and led here there, to wrap my arms around her just to feel that I was still real.

She seemed to know what I needed and returned the embrace and letting her head fall into the crook of my neck. I inhaled her scent feeling that I had returned home. Olivia was my family, my life and no matter where I had originated from, it had brought me to her.

I pulled away a little to be able to look at her and to kiss her, trying to pour all my feelings into it.

"Thank you", I whispered to her, to which she responded by stroking my cheek and seeking my lips to let me know that she understood what I was trying to say. This was a different side of Olivia, but I rather liked all her sides. I could only hope that she was comfortable with all of me too.

I could have stood there with her in my arms for all eternity, but there was still some business to be dealt with.

"Let's go and see Walter", I said and we took off walking side by side, hands occasionally brushing against each other.

XXX

I had had enough time to think and had come to the conclusion that although a part of me wanted to hurt Walter as he had hurt me and get him admitted to St. Claire's again and this time to lock the door behind me and throw away the key, but a bigger part of me considered him family now. Even though technically he wasn't my father, I had become close to this insanely brilliant man, who seemed to care about me. If everything that I knew now had come to light earlier when I just had started working with Olivia, I would have left, taken my bag and disappeared as so many times before.

However, I had changed. I now had a sense of a family albeit a dysfunctional one and even though I still felt restless and that I should be somewhere else, but never knowing where, I had put down roots. Not in a place, but with people. Through knowing Walter, I had learned so much and I respected his intelligence as he was one of the few people who were smarter than me. And then there was Olivia, who had shown me this freak show that we call the world and had awaken in me the need to know and understand. And of course her presence had brought me a new sense of belonging and purpose.

XXX

We walked in to the psychiatric ward and managed to get hold of the doctor who was treating Walter. They had started weaning him off of the sedatives, but he was still restrained.

"I'm glad that you are here Mr. Bishop as Dr. Bishop seemed to very upset and worried that he would never see you again", the doctor said while taking us to see Walter.

"He wasn't very coherent and I haven't been able to talk to him yet, but it seems that he did something that he is sure that has upset you greatly and he is afraid that he will be alone again", the doctor continued.

"He did hurt me, but he's my father and now I know why he did what he did", I responded and could practically see the doctor's ears pricking up with interest.

"But I'm not willing to discuss it with anyone", I continued and saw the doctor's disappointed face, but to his credit he accepted my answer and showed us into a room, where Walter was lying in a bed.

"I'll leave you to it. Please let me know if there is anything else I can do", the doctor said and closed the door after us.

We stood with Olivia side by side just inside of the door and I hesitated to go closer regardless of what I had been thinking. Olivia nudged me and I took a step closer until I was sitting down next to Walter's bed. Olivia remained standing where she was as this was something I had to do alone.

Walter wasn't resting peacefully, probably due to the sedation wearing off. He was also tugging the restrains even though he wasn't awake. I laid my hand on his arm and he seemed to calm down. He opened his eyes groggily and when he saw me, his eyes widened.

"Peter! Oh, Peter. I'm so sorry, I' sorry, I'm sorry. You died. I couldn't help, I was helpless, I could only watch. Then I found a way to bring you back. I missed you so much. So much. I couldn't live without trying to bring you back" Walter launched into a rambling mode and started to struggle against the restrains.

"Please, don't make me go back to St. Claire's. Please, I love you son. Please forgive me." Walter was becoming more agitated by the minute.

I moved to grab him by shoulders and looked him straight into the eyes. This seemed to calm him although he still looked terrified and had tears forming in his eyes.

"I understand why you did what you did, even though it was wrong" I said and he seemed to cling to my every word.

"I don't know how long it will take me to forgive you, if I ever can, but you are the only father I know and you have shown with your own faltering way that you care about me", I continued.

"And we need you if the war is coming", I added. Walter seemed to be relieved and fully lucid now and whispered, "I'm truly sorry son. I love you."

At this point I could feel Olivia's presence hovering behind me and she put a hand against my back for support. I turned and tried to smile, but it was rather watery twist of my lips. Walter also looked at Olivia and seemed to pick up that something had changed and he smiled through his tears. Olivia patted him also on the shoulder and I couldn't help but think how pathetic sight we must be if any of the medical staff were watching.

"I'm going to go and find the doctor to see to your discharge" I said clearing my throat. Both Olivia and Walter nodded and I left Olivia sitting on the bed talking with Walter about what type of sundae he was going to have once he got home. Back to normal business then I see, I though to myself.

The doctor wasn't entirely happy to let Walter go, but after he talked with him and with us assuring that Walter was also normally a bit off kilter, he agreed to let him go. He removed the restrains and Walter bolted out of bed like it was in fire. He grabbed Olivia who was standing next to him and gave her a big bear hug, to which Olivia responded smiling and patting him on the back.

"You can let go now, Walter, I need to breathe", she said smiling and Walter let go apologising profusely. Then he looked at me and took a hesitant step closer and I couldn't help myself after looking at his remorseful face and stepped closer to hug him.

"Thank you son. Thank you" he whispered to my ear before letting me go. The doctor had watched all the proceedings and seemed to be positively surprised.

"Take care of yourself Dr. Bishop. You too Mr. Bishop, Agent Dunham", he nodded at us and walked back to to nurses station.

We left the hospital to find that it was still raining, but the weather couldn't dampen my mood and judging by the faces of Olivia and Walter, they also felt the same way. I took hold of Olivia's hand and put my other arm around Walter's shoulders and for now I felt content.

XXX


End file.
